Spring and Autumn, don't bother with gear, it's mostly useless. If you want to go in summer, the earlier you get on it the better - Afternoon thunderstorms will get you if you don't move your rear end. If you really have to take gear, take medium cams, but hexes and big nuts will be best. Funny enough for the last pitch I found the best protection is a small cam below the undercling. Take the word "best" with a big helping of salt. Link the first 2 pitches, there's almost no gear on it in any case. The so called cam placement on the scary traverse is only after the business is done (not after 3-4 meters, it is at least 10 if I remember correctly), I didn't even bother with it as it is completely pointless. You're followers will in any case be better off if you don't place it, as you can then simply protect them from above and their potential fall will be much less serious. If the leader falls on that pitch you're buggered in any case. The rest of the pitches are easy enough to not require gear. To give you an idea, when I climbed it (in spring), we got burned by the sun, then some rain, howling winds and a little snow to top it off. Take a wind and water proof jacket, food and water. Enjoy!

Hey there, don't know if this is a bit late? (from MCSA KZN section route guides)
Rated Grade 17/18 unless you use the aid on pitch 5, then a 15/16.
Have no personal experience but will be able to tell you more after Feb11th as we're doing it guided then.

Regards

Mark

SENTINEL: Angus-Leppan Route (F3 or F1/A1)
(Map #1 : G:23 : 3165m)
Opening Party: Pam and Peter Angus-Leppan.
Date: 17 February 1959.
Time: 3 hours climbing from the contour path to the summit.
This is a very popular route, being sunny and exposed on fairly good rock. Although easy, it is not recommended for beginners, as the consequences of a fall could be serious. This line on the huge north face of the Sentinel used to be known as the Gendarme route and is one of the best routes in the 'Berg at its grade.
From the contour path, head for the right hand side of the large gendarme at the base of the north face. Scramble up the gully formed between the gendarme on the left and the main face on the right. Continue up the gully to a 5m rock step that blocks the gully. This blockage may be passed in one of two ways. Most people follow an easy, but unprotected zig-zag line (D) on the face of the gendarme, to the left of the blockage: Climb up 2m, traverse left for about 10m, up for 3m, and then back right for 20m (a bit thin for the last few metres) to a position in the gully at the top of the blockage. Alternatively, you can rope a pitch up the right of the blockage (F) - this is particularly tricky when wet. From the top of the blockage, scramble up to the nek between the gendarme and the main peak, climbing through an easy rock band on the way.
1. 20m D. From the nek, climb up easily, heading diagonally left and belay on a good grass ledge below a short steep wall.
2. 20m E. "Grotto Pitch". Climb the wall to a small, vegetated cubbyhole, with one awkward move on the way. From the cubbyhole traverse to the left for 3m. Continue up an easy section for 10m and into a short grassy gully. Belay near the base of an open book / large recess(*) and adjacent to the start of a good rock ledge the runs off to the left. (*) = See variation below.
3. 25m E3. Traverse left along the rock ledge (exposed) which leads around a corner and then up a narrow ramp. Belay at the top of the ramp adjacent to the huge recess that splits the north face. Take care in setting up this belay, as some of the rock is loose.
4. 15m F1. Traverse to the right across an exposed slab, using spaced footholds, and continue on to the corner. Climb up and belay at a large block on the ledge above. From here, climbers following the leader can be safely top-roped across the traverse. The only significant gear for the leader during the traverse is a 3½ cam in a crack at foot level after 3 or 4 metres.
5. 35m D. Traverse to the right along a good rock ledge for 20m, crossing a recess and continuing around a corner in the process. Climb easily up to a belay on a large blocky ledge.
6. 5m F3. Move up into the cubbyhole a couple of metres above the stance. Clip a good peg under the roof of the cubbyhole and then, at the highest point, reach round for a good hold and use this to move diagonally up and right through the overhang. One intermediate sloping hold is needed to stand up and reach good holds. This pitch was originally aided up a line a couple of metres to the right of the cubbyhole. It is also possible to climb this short section further to the left of the main cubbyhole. From the top of this pitch you can walk to the right along a broad ledge and join the topmost part of the standard route. Alternatively, complete the route as it was opened, by climbing the final pitch.
7. 10m D. Climb the easy chimney in the rock band above the previous pitch and then stroll across to the summit cairn.
Descend by the standard route.
Variations: Pitches 3, 4 and 5 can be bypassed by a direct route of two pitches that follows the open book / large recess near the start of pitch 3. Although somewhat quicker, this line bypasses the best pitches on the climb! Angus-Leppan's original Journal article makes reference to this open book as a, "particularly evil looking, green chimney . . . narrow, choked with growth and smooth sided." but Dodding claims that it has been cleaned and is a reasonable prospect using modern climbing gear. The details of this variation are as follows:
Opening Party: Russ Dodding, Chris Lesley-Smith and Steve Kelsey. Date: 7 August 1998.
Pitch "3". 27m F3. Ascend the groove (unprotected at first) to an obvious traverse line at 8m. Step delicately right, traverse around the arete and walk to the right along the break to a large stance next to a gully which is on the right.
Pitch "4". 20m E. Climb the arete easily to the blocky stance at the start of pitch 6 on the usual route.
There are also other variations to the start of the route. These all begin lower down in the gully but all end with much the same pitch 6.
Ref: MCSA Journal 1959, pg 104.

markhuman wrote:Rated Grade 17/18 unless you use the aid on pitch 5, then a 15/16

The crux is on pitch 6, not 5. Also, it is literally a single move that goes at 15 free, maybe 16 (although graded the old F3 which should go at 16/17). The hardest move on the route is in the approach gully (if you rope up a pitch up the blockage instead of circumventing it), and is also a single move that goes at about 17.

If you try and free the original line on pitch 6 it goes at the old grade G, or 18. It is a couple of metres to the right of the current line and there are three old pitons hammered into a crack.

A brilliant route, if only for the spectacular exposure!

Just for the sake of interest, I find that the route is softly graded compared to the old classics on Table Mountain. I suppose if you factor in the poor rock quality it makes sense. But then I also guess nobody really cares for splitting hairs at these grades. Anyhow, here's the way I would grade the route:

This is one of the finest routes in the Berg. The climbing is on the big, sunny north face of the peak and follows a winding route to the top. Technically today it gets a grade of F3, because of the tricky move on the final pitch, but most of the climbing elsewhere is easy to moderate. It is also a “trade route” for guides as most people have little difficulty in climbing it. It was originally called the Gendarme Route and later the North Face Route. Today most people just call it “the Angus-Leppan.” Some fixed protection has been added to make two of the stances safer. It was originally an aid route, as the normal final pitch today had pitons hammered in that the first ascentionists stood on.
Approach. Take the path around the corner of the north arete of Sentinel. Walk a short distance until a vague old path zigzags off up the slope and before a short steel ladder is found on the main path. Take the old path up and then contour west, parellell to the main path below. After about 150m a slope of scree can be seen above the old path, with a steep grass gully above. Scramble over the scree and hike up the gully. The sheer rock wall on the left is the Sentinel Gendarme. About 200m up the gully a short rock step is encounted which is sometimes wet in summer time. 1.5hours from the car park.
1 E3 10m The rock step consists of a loose chimney on the left and a sloping ramp on the right. Start by a tricky take-off onto the ramp and then finishing left above the chimney. Belay up in the gully above. Well protected.
Alternatively from below the chimney, climb the easy rock of the Gendarme wall for 2m, then traverse back left for 10m. Then up a nose of rock and scramble to the rock band above. From here traverse back right into the gully above the chimney. This is an easy alternative on reasonable rock. There is however almost no protection, and most people who take this route do so un-roped. Grade E1
From the top of the chimney scramble up for 80m in the gully, going through one more minor rock step until the saddle between the Gendarme and the north face is reached. Belay here and start pitch two.

2 D 30m From the saddle, scramble up and left to a short wide crack. Climb this and scramble to a wide sunny ledge and belay at the far end.
3 E2 20m The "Grotto Pitch". Climb the short steep wall above on good holds to a small, cave .Traverse to the left for 2m and around a corner and then up a grassy gully to a stance on a ledge with 2 bolts.
4 4 E3 20m. Traverse left on the ledge to an arete. Move around and slightly down then rise back up to the ledge to an exposed corner and piton. Keep traversing to a step-over, then ascend a blocky ramp to a small stance with 2 bolts, high in the north face recess. The ramp is usually climbed on the outer edge.
5 F1 20m. Traverse right, across the easy but unprotected slab for 7m. Stepping down at one critical point. Protection can be found just beyond the slab in a large crack at foot level. Traverse right to the skyline. Ascent the arete, past a peg and onto a large pedestal of rock. Climb onto this and then to the ledge above. Move left into a recess with a huge crack behind and a peg in the floor. A large cam gives good protection in the crack. From this stance the traverse below can be virtually top-roped.
6 D 45m. Traverse right along a big ledge into the next recess, then further to the arete. Go around the arete/nose and move slightly up then right a few meters. An easy recess gives access to the ledge above. From the ledge, scramble up the easy gully above to a high stance on blocks. Rope drag can be problem. This stance is directly above the large crack at the stance below.
7 F3 10m Move slightly left into a cubbyhole. (protection deep in the undercut)Then move out to the right past a dubious flake and mantleshelf onto the ledge. Scramble to the next rockband.
Alternatively from the stance climb to the right up a steep short wall, passing several pegs for aid. This section has been freed at about F3.
From the top of pitch 7 most climbers walk off to the right along the grass and then join the Standard Route. There is another pitch above this in an awkward E grade chimney, but is seldom ever climbed these days.